


Prenuptial Agreement

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Lawyers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 07:23:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1736078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney has made the rational decision to marry his girlfriend. The lawyer Sam recommends to him for the prenups is not what he expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prenuptial Agreement

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally started as a 15-minute-fic based on [this prompt](http://15-minute-fic.livejournal.com/41806.html), but I wasn't close to finishing after the time was up, so I continued the next day. And now I finally post it for McSheplets challenge #177: Contract.

It's just a piece of paper. It's a precaution that every couple should take, no matter how horrified future parents-in-law are at the idea of prenuptial agreements. 

Claire understands this because she's a sensible person. It's one of the things that Rodney likes about her. He's spent more than enough time in his life listening to his sister talking about true love and the right person and, "You'll know it when you meet her, Mer."

The fact of the matter is that Rodney 'knew it' when Claire proposed to him and he decided—after long and thoughtful consideration—that it would be best to accept. It's an important decision to make. And if love were really in any way like his sister describes, he's not sure it would leave someone in a state to make rational decisions anyway.

The lawyer he goes to was recommended to him. He's supposed to be best at what he's doing.

"What's yours is yours, what's hers is hers. That's what you want?" John asks him.

Rodney isn't sure how someone can make a suit as expensive as his look so ill-fitting. "Uhm, yes. Isn't that what prenups are about?"

"Well, not necessarily. There will be wealth accumulated once you get married. You'll buy things together, and the lines won't be drawn as easily. There are decisions to be made. Like do you prefer Italian or Chinese?"

"What?" Rodney asks, confused.

"I'm hungry. Would you mind if we made this a business _lunch_?"

An hour later they're in a small Italian restaurant around the corner, and John's taken copious amounts of notes while throwing questions at Rodney that can't possibly have anything to do with a prenuptial agreement.

"What on Earth does my favorite Batman have to do with this contract?" he asks.

"Nothing," John says, wiping his mouth. "I was just interested. Adam West, right?"

Rodney absolutely doesn't know what to make of John. So when John tells him he needs to go but asks if Rodney wants to join him for lunch again two days later, he says yes.

It's about five lunch dates into their relationship when Rodney realizes that they've stopped talking about anything related to his contract. He didn't notice, because John has a goofy charm that's very distracting and because Rodney's never quite argued as much about inconsequential things and felt so good about it. Time flies when he's with John, but now that he remembers the actual purpose of their lunch dates, he feels that he should ask about the state of the contract.

"About that..." John says, fingering his napkin. "I'm afraid it would be a conflict of interest for me to do your prenuptial agreements."

"What!" Rodney says. "Why?"

John hesitates for a moment, then looks at him. "I would prefer if you didn't get married—to Claire."

Rodney's mouth opens, then closes again. He has no idea what to say. Hell, he has no idea what to _think_. He doesn't get it at all. John didn't seem very much like a typical lawyer to him, but Rodney knows for a fact that he _has_ done prenuptial agreements and good ones at that. And Rodney cannot fathom why John wouldn't want him to marry Claire. He knows his sister has had a reserved reaction about the news, but John certainly doesn't know him well enough to make such a judgement call.

This is really just bizarre to Rodney, and since he can't make sense of it, he latches on to the one thing that he _does_ know. "So you've just been wasting my time these two past weeks?" he asks.

John takes a moment before he answers calmly. "Apparently. I'm sorry."

"I..." Rodney doesn't know what else to say, so he gets up. He wants to storm off dramatically, but he has to admit he really enjoyed the lunches with John, and if he hadn't been so completely weird today, Rodney might have asked him if they could have lunch together once in a while even after the prenups were done. "Thank you," he says to John, then leaves him alone.

Finding another lawyer isn't all that hard, but Rodney can't stop thinking about John and what happened. He gives Sam a call. "I think you should know that the lawyer you recommended for my prenups dumped me."

"What are you talking about? Did you annoy him so much that he told you to go elsewhere?" Sam asks.

"Of course not! He told me it would be a conflict of interest for him. After _five_ lunch dates during which we hardly even talked about the prenups," Rodney vents.

"Oh boy," Sam says.

"What? Do you know what's wrong with him? I had my suspicions when I saw his hair, but since you praised him so highly..."

"What exactly did he say was his conflict of interest?" Sam asks.

"He said he didn't want me to marry Claire. If I didn't know better, I'd suspect Jeannie of having a hand in this," Rodney says.

"Is there no other reason you could think of why he'd rather you didn't marry?" Sam asks.

She sounds like she _has_ thought of another reason, and it annoys Rodney. "Honestly, no," he admits.

"If I told you that John was gay, would _that_ change anything?" Sam asks.

Rodney blinks. John is...and he doesn't...and he doesn't think their lunch _dates_ were a waste of time because...oh my. "He was doing my _prenuptial agreements_ ," Rodney shouts slightly hysterically. "You can't...be interested in someone who's going to marry!"

"Oh, really?" Sam says. Rodney can practically feel her rolling her eyes.

"That was totally different. I knew he wasn't good enough for you and that it wouldn't last," Rodney says defensively.

"So what did you tell him? I mean John," Sam asks.

"I asked him why he had been wasting my time then," Rodney says. Then he sighs. "It wasn't really a waste of time," he admits. "I _liked_ him."

"Liked him?"

"Not like that. I mean...I didn't even think of that. I'm _engaged_. Why does everyone seem to forget that?" Rodney says, a bit annoyed.

"Maybe because you keep telling everyone that it's a practical decision that has nothing to do with love," Sam says.

"I never said it had nothing to do with love." He hasn't. He knows he would have been crucified for it.

"Some people can read between the lines," Sam says.

Rodney only harrumphs.

"So do you _like_ John?" Sam asks.

"I'm going to pretend you did not just ask me that even though I'm engaged. Bye. And thanks for recommending John. I think." Rodney hangs up without waiting for an answer.

Rodney knows that he should be glad. Now the mystery is solved, and he can go on with his life. Except for the part where Rodney can't stop thinking about their lunch dates and the look on John's face when Rodney called them a waste of time. He really shouldn't have said that. So he decides to call John to tell him at least that.

"Rodney?" John asks.

"Uh, yes, it's me. I only wanted to—"

"I was just going to head out to lunch. Wanna join me?" John interrupts him.

Rodney has really only wanted to tell John that he actually enjoyed their lunch dates. Though if he tells him that, it will be weird not to go on another one. Except for the part where John doesn't want him to get married. But that was before with the conflict of interest. John probably still doesn't want him to get married, but it isn't a conflict of interest any longer. So it will probably be okay to have lunch together. "Yeah, sure."

"You're probably wondering why I called," Rodney says once they've taken their seats and ordered.

"Actually, no," John says, not looking up from the menu.

"No?" Rodney asks.

"Sam called me," John says, looking at Rodney. "She said you might."

"She did? Wait. She had no way of knowing this. I only called because I wanted to say that our lunch dates, I mean meetings, weren't a waste of time to me."

"I'm glad to hear it," John says, smiling brightly.

Rodney doesn't get it. Is John flirting with him? He's still engaged. Or maybe Sam was wrong after all, and John simply likes him, not in _that_ way. Or he thinks that Rodney is the kind of guy that cheats. Which he isn't. Even if Claire and his relationship is not the greatest love of all time. "I'm still engaged," he says.

John deflates slightly. "That's unfortunate," he says.

"Why?" Rodney asks, because at this point not knowing is bothering him more than any insult on his decision to marry could.

"I imagine Claire wouldn't be too happy if we started dating," John says.

Okay, so much for that bit of uncertainty. Rodney can't get over the fact how unconcerned John is about making his interest known. "Why would you even think I'd be interested in dating you?" Rodney asks.

"Aren't you?" John asks in return.

"You didn't answer my question," Rodney points out.

"I'm aware of that. Neither did you."

"I don't think about dating other people while I'm engaged," Rodney says.

"Which is why I said it was unfortunate that you were," John says.

"I don't think this conversation is going anywhere," Rodney said, now that they were right where they started.

"I wouldn't say that. You didn't deny that you'd be interested in dating me."

"I said I'm not thinking about it right now," Rodney repeats.

"But if I asked you if you were interested in, say, dating your friend Kavanaugh..." John asks.

"I'd say not even if he were the last human being on Earth," Rodney answered. "But that hardly proves anything."

"It proves that you _can_ make certain statements about whom you'd date despite your current status of being engaged."

"I take it back. You _are_ a lawyer," Rodney says.

John laughs. It's an open infectious laugh. It makes Rodney smile and feel kind of warm inside. John's smile becomes softer. "You'd date me," he states.

"Maybe I would," Rodney concedes because it's hard not to. He wanted to see John again. He really enjoyed their lunch dates. And he thinks John's smile is more beautiful than Claire's.

John seems surprised by Rodney's admission. "You can," he says, looking serious. Before Rodney can protest for the hundredth time that he is engaged, John continues. "You could _not_ marry her."

There is that. Rodney has thought long and hard about his decision, but if the parameters have changed...

"You can update your spreadsheet," John suggests, one corner of his mouth tugging up. "You can put 'amazing sex with John' in the con column."

"Amazing, huh?" Rodney says. He can't believe he's talking about this. He can't believe he isn't stopping John.

"Amazing, _hot_ , _fun_ sex. I have no gag reflex at all," John says, opening his mouth.

And okay, now Rodney _is_ thinking about things that he shouldn't be thinking about as an engaged man. He drops his gaze.

"How does that song go? Don't marry her, choose me?" John asks.

Rodney shakes his head. "You don't even know me," he says. "We've had lunch together a few times. There's a reason I decided to accept Claire's proposal. This kind of thing just doesn't happen to me."

"There's a first time for everything," John only says.

The server comes to bring their food which is just as well because Rodney doesn't know what to say. He's not used to the feeling, and yet, he's felt like that repeatedly since he met John.

"Tell me what's on the pro side," John says to him once the server has left.

"In my spreadsheet? How do you even know I made one?" Rodney asks.

John grins.

Rodney rolls his eyes. "Financial advantages," he says.

"That's your first reason?" John asks.

"You didn't ask for any particular order," Rodney says.

"Go on," John says.

"A certain amount of stability," Rodney continues.

"How so? Aren't you living with Claire now? What would marriage change?" John asks.

"Do you ever ask that your clients?" Rodney can't help asking.

"Most of them marry out of love," John says.

"Really? I would have thought with the prenuptial agreements..."

"A common misconception," John says.

"To answer your question: I don't expect many changes in our practical lives, but our families would view each other differently, and as we grow older, being married will..."

"Make it less likely that she just dumps you?" John asks.

"Yes," Rodney admits. It had been a factor.

"Go on," John prompts him again.

"Status. It will be different if I'm able to call Claire my wife instead of my girlfriend."

"Am I correct in assuming that there's nothing on that list that's actually about Claire as a person," John asks.

It doesn't sound like an accusation, but Rodney still feels momentarily guilty. "I wouldn't be with her if she weren't a great person."

"What makes her greater than Sam for instance?" John asks.

Rodney looks at John. He can't come up with anything other than that Claire wanted to enter a relationship with him.

John leans forward, reaches under the table, and puts his hand on Rodney's where it lies in his lap. Rodney starts, but doesn't pull his hand away. "For the moment, I cannot offer you any financial advantages," John says, "but I promise you when you're making that spreadsheet for me, you'll find something to put on that list that's about _me_."

Rodney doesn't say a word. The thing is, he doesn't doubt John. At the top of his head, he could mention John's interest in comics, the way he can melt into any surface he leans on, his smile, his intelligence and how he uses it, the way it makes Rodney feel when John strokes his hand... "What if it doesn't work out?" he still asks.

"What if it does?" John answers back.

What if it does? What if instead of the pleasant, quiet evenings with Claire, he'd have arguments and laughter? What if instead of nice, quiet, clean sex, he'd have loud, passionate, dirty sex? What if instead of sharing a house with someone he liked, he'd share his _life_ with someone he _loved_?

"Claire's parents said prenuptial agreements were a bad idea," Rodney says.

"They're wrong," John says.

Not necessarily from their point of view, Rodney thinks. He likes Claire's parents. He wonders if he will still see them once he's talked to Claire. Maybe they can remain friends. And if not, it's a sacrifice he's willing to make. "You only say that because you make a living writing them," Rodney says with a smile.

"Yes," John says. "But they're still wrong."

"Either way, _I_ can't say I regret asking you for one," Rodney says.

"Even if you don't need it any longer," John says, though it sounds a bit like a question.

" _Especially_ because I don't need it any longer," Rodney corrects him.

John smiles brightly. He squeezes Rodney's hand and pulls his own away, continuing to eat. "So when do you think you can start thinking about dating other people?"

"Not for a long time," Rodney says.

John frowns at him.

"I'm not thinking about dating other people while I'm dating hot guys I really...like," Rodney clarifies.

"Hot, huh?" John asks, sounding pleased.

"Would you have preferred dorky?" Rodney asks.

"Hot is fine. Handsome and attractive work too. Smart, funny, sexy. The list goes on," John says playfully.

"I'll be sure to make a note in my spreadsheet," Rodney says dryly.

"When will you talk to Claire?" John asks, suddenly serious.

"Tonight. Wanna have lunch with me tomorrow?" Rodney asks.

"Sure," John says, smiling. "Wanna have breakfast with me the day after tomorrow?" he adds seductively.

"Only if it's in bed," Rodney answers in kind.

   
The End


End file.
